Things To Do in Cambridge
Our Blue Badge guides' pick of the best places to visit in Cambridge – from punting and the colleges to free museums, gardens and day trips.
Cambridge packs eight centuries of history, world-famous colleges, free museums and riverside meadows into a compact centre that is easy to explore on foot. Our guides show visitors around the city every day, and these are the places we recommend – with practical tips on visiting the colleges, a one-day itinerary, day trips and where to eat. Short on time? See our pick of the 8 things to see in Cambridge.
The 25 Best Things to Do in Cambridge
Our guides' quick list of the places we recommend most – tap any item to jump to the details.
- Punt along the Backs on the River Cam
- Take a guided walking tour of the city centre
- Visit King's College Chapel
- Hear Choral Evensong in a college chapel
- Explore Trinity, St John's and Queens' colleges
- Photograph the Bridge of Sighs
- See the Mathematical Bridge
- Watch the Corpus Clock on King's Parade
- Climb Great St Mary's tower for the best view
- Have a drink at the Eagle, where DNA was announced
- Step inside the 900-year-old Round Church
- Browse the daily market on Market Square
- Discover the Fitzwilliam Museum
- Visit the house and gallery at Kettle's Yard
- See the whale at the Museum of Zoology
- Meet the dinosaurs at the Sedgwick Museum
- Follow Captain Scott at the Polar Museum
- Explore the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
- Wander the Cambridge University Botanic Garden
- Walk or punt to Grantchester for tea in the Orchard
- Picnic on Jesus Green and swim at the Lido
- Catch a show at the Arts Theatre or the ADC
- Eat a Chelsea bun at Fitzbillies
- Take a day trip to Ely Cathedral
- See Spitfires and Concorde at IWM Duxford
Compiled by the Cantab Tours guiding team · Updated October 2026
Punting on the River Cam
No trip to Cambridge is complete without a punt on the River Cam. Sit back and enjoy the world-famous views as you glide along the College Backs, past King's College Chapel, the Wren Library, the Mathematical Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs. For a longer, quieter trip, punt upriver through the meadows to the village of Grantchester.
Chauffeured punting tours run all year round, mostly from Quayside by Magdalene Bridge and from around Silver Street and Mill Lane. There are options to suit every budget – from a shared punt to your own private punt with Champagne or afternoon tea. You can also hire a self-drive punt, but on a busy summer day a chauffeured tour is far more relaxing, and you get the stories as well as the views.
Cantab Tours would recommend Rutherford's Punting, who offer a diverse range of punting choices and experienced guides who will ensure you are inspired and entertained. Choose from a Shared Punt for those on a budget or book your own Private Punt complete with Champagne or Cambridge Gin for a more extravagant experience. You can even book a combined walking and punting tour with Cantab Tours and Rutherford's Punting.
Visiting the Colleges & King's College Chapel
The University of Cambridge is made up of 31 colleges, and wandering through their courts and gardens is one of the great pleasures of a visit. The most famous is King's College, whose Chapel – built between 1446 and 1515 – has the largest fan-vaulted ceiling in the world, magnificent medieval stained glass and Rubens' Adoration of the Magi behind the altar.
Other colleges worth seeing include Trinity, one of the largest, founded by Henry VIII; its neighbour St John's, home of the Bridge of Sighs; the medieval Queens' College; and quieter gems such as Pembroke, Corpus Christi and Clare, with its gardens beside the river.
For something special, go to Choral Evensong at King's, St John's or Trinity. Services are free and open to everyone, and hearing one of the world's great choirs in these buildings is unforgettable. Choirs mostly sing during university term, so check service times on the college websites.
The colleges are working communities: each sets its own opening times, many charge an entry fee, and access is often restricted during exams (roughly May to mid-June). Our private King's College tours pair your visit with an accredited guide – college entry can be arranged depending on availability.
Famous Landmarks in Cambridge
Most of Cambridge's famous sights are within a few minutes' walk of each other. Start on King's Parade with the Corpus Clock, unveiled by Stephen Hawking in 2008, whose grasshopper-like 'Chronophage' devours each passing minute. At the other end of King's Parade stands the 18th-century Senate House, where Cambridge students still graduate.
Down by the river, the wooden Mathematical Bridge at Queens' College, designed by William Etheridge in 1748, looks curved but is built entirely from straight timbers, while St John's College's Bridge of Sighs is one of the most photographed sights in the city. At Trinity, the Wren Library, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1676, holds medieval manuscripts and books from Isaac Newton's own library.
For the best view in town, climb the 123 steps of the tower of Great St Mary's, the University Church, for a panorama over King's College Chapel and the stalls of Market Square below, where a market is held every day. Nearby, the Round Church (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), built around 1130, is one of only four medieval round churches still standing in England.
Then stop for a drink at the Eagle on Bene't Street, a 17th-century coaching inn where Francis Crick announced in 1953 that he and James Watson had found 'the secret of life' – the structure of DNA. In the back bar, look up at the ceiling covered in graffiti left by Second World War airmen.
Our daily Cambridge walking tour, the Highlights Tour, takes in many of these iconic sights – and the stories behind them.
Museums & Galleries in Cambridge
Many of Cambridge's best attractions are its University museums – and almost all of them are free. The Fitzwilliam Museum is the grandest: a world-renowned collection of over half a million works of art and antiquities, from Egyptian coffins to masterpieces by Titian and Monet.
Kettle's Yard is a remarkable house filled with 20th-century art, arranged just as its creator Jim Ede left it, alongside a modern gallery. The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences takes you on a 4.5-billion-year journey through fossils, rocks and dinosaurs; the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology holds treasures from every continent; and the Polar Museum tells the story of Arctic and Antarctic exploration, including Captain Scott's final expedition.
Families love the University Museum of Zoology, where a huge fin whale skeleton hangs above the entrance, and the Whipple Museum of the History of Science is full of telescopes, globes and scientific instruments.
Entry to all of these museums is free, but opening days and hours vary – several close on Mondays – so check their websites before you go.
Parks, Gardens & the Great Outdoors
Cambridge is a wonderfully green city. The Backs – the lawns and gardens behind the riverside colleges – give the classic view of King's College Chapel across the Cam and are lovely to stroll at any time of year, especially in spring when the banks fill with crocuses and daffodils.
The Cambridge University Botanic Garden, a short walk south of the centre, has 40 acres of gardens and glasshouses holding over 8,000 plant species. There is an entry charge, but it is a peaceful escape on a busy day.
For a classic Cambridge afternoon, walk or punt through Grantchester Meadows to the village of Grantchester, where the Orchard Tea Garden has served tea under the apple trees for well over a century and the poet Rupert Brooke once lodged. Allow about an hour each way on foot.
Closer to the centre, Jesus Green, Midsummer Common and Parker's Piece are perfect for a picnic, and Jesus Green's 1920s open-air lido is open for swimming in the summer months.
One Day in Cambridge: Our Suggested Itinerary
Only have a day? This is the plan our guides give friends visiting for the first time.
Morning
Breakfast and King's Parade
Start with a Chelsea bun at Fitzbillies on Trumpington Street, then stroll up King's Parade past the Corpus Clock while the streets are still quiet.
11:30am
Highlights walking tour
Join our 90-minute Cambridge walking tour from Peas Hill. A Blue or Green Badge guide brings the colleges, the Senate House and the Eagle to life – and has tips for the rest of your day.
1pm
Lunch in the centre
Pick up street food on Market Square or book a table at one of our favourite restaurants.
2pm
Punting along the Backs
See the riverside colleges, the Mathematical Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs from the water on a chauffeured punt tour.
3:30pm
King's College Chapel or a museum
Step inside King's College Chapel, or spend an hour in the free Fitzwilliam Museum if the weather turns.
Late afternoon
Evensong or a drink at the Eagle
During term, end the day with free Choral Evensong in a college chapel; otherwise, raise a glass at the Eagle, where the structure of DNA was announced.
More Ideas: Free, Rainy-Day, Family & Evening
Free Things to Do in Cambridge
Walk the Backs and the riverside paths, visit the Fitzwilliam, Kettle's Yard and the other University museums, attend Choral Evensong, browse Market Square and picnic on Jesus Green or Parker's Piece. Wondering about free walking tours? See how a Blue Badge tour compares.
Rainy Day Ideas
Head for the museums – the Fitzwilliam alone can fill a morning – or Kettle's Yard, the Polar Museum and the Museum of Zoology. King's College Chapel and Great St Mary's are wonderful in any weather, and the Botanic Garden's glasshouses stay warm and dry.
Cambridge with Children
Children love the whale skeleton at the Museum of Zoology, the dinosaurs at the Sedgwick Museum and a punt on the river. Further out, Shepreth Wildlife Park and IWM Duxford make great family days out. Children aged 3–16 join our Highlights Tour for £14, and under-3s go free.
Evenings Out
See a play at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, founded by the economist John Maynard Keynes in 1936, or a student production at the ADC Theatre. The Corn Exchange hosts concerts and comedy, and the riverside pubs around Quayside and the Mill Pond are perfect on a summer evening.
Day Trips from Cambridge
Ely Cathedral, around 15 minutes away by train, is one of the great buildings of medieval England – its unique 14th-century octagonal lantern tower is counted among the marvels of the medieval world. Ely itself has an attractive riverside, tea rooms, antique shops and Oliver Cromwell's House.
Aviation fans should head to IWM Duxford, about ten miles south of the city, one of Europe's largest aviation museums, with Spitfires, Concorde and historic hangars. Closer to town, the Cambridge American Cemetery at Madingley is a moving memorial to the Americans who served in the Second World War.
For grand houses and gardens, the National Trust's Anglesey Abbey and Wimpole Estate, with its working farm, are each within half an hour's drive, and English Heritage's Audley End House lies near the market town of Saffron Walden. Families will also enjoy Shepreth Wildlife Park, a family-run zoo to the south of Cambridge with animals from aardvarks to tigers.
Useful Information
Parking in Cambridge
There are several car parks in Cambridge city centre. We recommend the Grand Arcade Car Park (Corn Exchange Street, CB2 3QF), Queen Anne Terrace Car Park (Gonville Place, CB1 1ND) or Park Street Car Park (Park Street, CB5 8AS). These are all pay-on-departure car parks that accept cash or card. For the full list of car parks, visit cambridge.gov.uk/parking.
Public Transport
Cambridge has regular train connections with London, Stansted Airport, Birmingham, the north of the UK and other destinations. The main station is just over a mile from the city centre, and there's another to the north of the city. Regular buses run to and from each station, cycle hire is available, and there are five park and ride sites around the edge of the city. For details including bus timetables, visit cambridge.gov.uk/travel-to-cambridge.
Visiting the Colleges
Colleges are private places of work and study. Many open to visitors at set times, often for a fee, but they close or restrict access during exams (roughly May to mid-June) and on special occasions. Check each college's website on the day you plan to visit.
When to Visit
Spring and early autumn are ideal: the gardens are at their best and the streets are calmer. July and August are the busiest months, so come early in the day. In December the city has carol services, seasonal markets and Christmas lights.
Restaurants & Bars in Cambridge
In Cambridge you will be spoilt for choice, with a wide range of delicious options available. From brunch through to dinner, here are a selection of our favourites:
Fitzbillies – with two branches, Fitzbillies is the place to go for brunch, lunch or afternoon tea. They are famous for their ultra-sticky Chelsea buns.
Amelie – the first UK brand specialising in 'Flammkuchen', a tasty flatbread from the east of France that's truly delicious.
Smokeworks BBQ – 'low n slow' BBQ food and a great choice for lunch or dinner. Their TAPS bars also serve cocktails, bourbon and beer.
Restaurant Twenty-Two – located on Jesus Green, the very popular Twenty-Two is perfect for a leisurely lunch or candlelit dinner after a stroll along the River Cam. We recommend booking well in advance.
Tradizioni at Sorrento – fuss-free, traditional Italian food. Perfect if you are looking for a good portion of pasta or a well-cooked pizza.
Taj Tandoori – located on the busy Cherry Hinton Road, Taj Tandoori has built up an enviable reputation and a loyal fan base for both the quality of its food and its friendly service.
For more suggestions, take a look at the Time Out guide to the best restaurants in Cambridge.
Things to Do in Cambridge: FAQs
What is the best thing to do in Cambridge?
If you only do one thing, take a punt along the Backs: in under an hour it shows you the riverside colleges, King's College Chapel, the Mathematical Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs. Pair it with a guided walking tour of the city centre and you will have seen the best of Cambridge in a single morning.
Is one day enough to see Cambridge?
One day is enough to see the main sights – follow our one-day itinerary above. With two or three days you can add the museums, Grantchester, the Botanic Garden and a day trip to Ely or IWM Duxford.
Can you visit the Cambridge colleges?
Yes, many colleges welcome visitors, but they are working communities, so opening times vary and the most popular colleges charge an entry fee. Access is often restricted during the exam season (roughly May to mid-June). Always check the college's website on the day of your visit.
What are the best free things to do in Cambridge?
Walking the Backs and the riverside paths, the University museums (including the Fitzwilliam, Kettle's Yard and the Museum of Zoology), Choral Evensong in the college chapels, Market Square and the city's parks and commons are all free.
Is Cambridge easy to explore on foot?
Very. The historic centre is compact and largely pedestrianised, and most of the sights on this page are within a 15-minute walk of Market Square. The railway station is just over a mile from the centre, with frequent buses.
When is the best time to visit Cambridge?
Spring and early autumn are ideal: the gardens look their best and the streets are quieter than in high summer. Many colleges restrict access from roughly May to mid-June during exams, and July and August are the busiest months.
Is a guided tour of Cambridge worth it?
A guided tour is the quickest way to understand what you are looking at – who founded the colleges, why King's College Chapel took nearly 70 years to build, and where the structure of DNA was first announced. Our 90-minute Highlights Tour runs every day from Peas Hill with an accredited Blue or Green Badge guide.
See the Best of Cambridge in 90 Minutes
Join one of our Blue or Green Badge guides on the Cambridge Highlights Tour – it runs every day from Peas Hill.
